Religious leaders set for city lesson

Andrew Mathieson
A GEELONG religious leader is readying for the world stage next week to praise the virtues of his city’s “harmonious” multicultural community.
Geelong inter-faith network chairman Monsignor James Murray will have a seat at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne.
More than 8000 church delegates from most major faiths around the globe will attend the council sitting, which began this Thursday for the first time in Australia.
“It is like the Olympic Games of religion – it’s held every four years,” Monsignor Murray said.
The local Catholic leader will make his appearance on the last morning of the parliament next Wednesday to discuss Geelong’s strong inter-faith relationships.
“We have established a good relationship to promote understanding and respect among people to show different faiths and traditions can work and live together in a pretty fragmented world,” he said.
The inter-faith network has been running in Geelong for six years, gathering mutual interests from a dozen religions.
Monsignor Murray said he would use his presentation to “promote peace and good will”.
“A lot of the problems caused by division is from an unwillingness to understand people and what their backgrounds are,” he said.
“Geelong is a very multicultural city and is a great success, with Pako Festa a great example of what can be done.”